‘Inception’: What’s That French Song?

By

WSJ Staff

Jul 17, 2010 8:00 pm ET

Of the many head-scratchers in the new Christopher Nolan film “Inception,” here’s another: who sings the lovely song that plays in the background during the dream sequences? It’s sung in French by a chanteuse whose vocals have the scratchy quality of old Victrola recordings. The answer: Edith Piaf’s “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.”

Turns out Nolan wrote the song into the script before composer Hans Zimmer came on board to score the film. “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien,” which Piaf recorded in 1960, was also used in “La Vie en Rose,” the Piaf biopic starring Marion Cotillard, who co-stars in… “Inception.” Nolan has said the Cotillard connection is purely coincidence.

Watch a clip of Piaf singing “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” live after the jump.

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